Ice Cube – The Predator

I wonder if you could release an album like this nowadays? And is that a bad thing (freedom of speech etc) or would it be seen as too confrontational and perhaps even inciteful? I gave it a rare spin this afternoon and to be honest I can't say that I enjoyed it. The music is OK but lyrics have dated quite a bit. Even by '92/'93 the black nationalist/white devil vibe was starting to sound a bit dated and was called out by KRS-One on his 'Sex And Violence' LP. His first two albums covered a lot of the topics here in a much more interesting and sometimes in an ironic or humorous way. A lot of those topics were also framed around story telling but which is almost non-existent here. There is nothing of what makes rap music interesting or enjoyable i.e. clever production, creative sampling, engaging story-telling. The best track is BY FAR 'Today Was A Good Day' and it is worth getting for that alone. Never liked 'Check Yo Self' as it is just too much of a rip-off of 'The Message'. His next album is better.

Picked mine up last year for around 30 and where did all these high prices come from?

There are two diffent versions of the US 1992 press. One with black/sepia Labels (as shown on the pictures) and one with black/white labels (photos were dactivated on this submission). Apart from that, there are no differences. I own both copies, if proof is needed!

One thing to note about "Say Hi to the Bad Guy": the Sly Stone sample listed is "I Ain't Got Nobody" but as I listened through that song it's apparent that it was mislabeled as a different Sly track, likely another song from the same album the sample was sourced from (Dance to the Music). I'm thinking it's actually "Color Me True" that was sampled but I can't quite make out if any portions are heard on "Say Hi to the Bad Guy". Anyone able to confirm this since it has not been found on WhoSampled yet?
Also, there IS a sample I was able to source on the title track; it is an uncredited portion of "Booga Bandit Bitch" by Just Ice.

So conscious, but still wild & furious. These lyrics alone, I only caught many of them years later, especially in their whole glory, I mean how he switches from a dreamy, fantastic "It Was A Good Day" to the roughness of "We Had To Tear This Mothafucka Up", a bomb by DJ Muggs, of course there is "Wicked" as one of the great masterpieces by a unique artist, and the oldschoolish "Check Yo Self", talking about the Remix of course which uses the classical "Message" beat, while the album version comes terrific as well. These tracks alone make it an outstanding work, but overall it represents much more, right down to the skits and of course to the super fresh & tight beats, which still pump and rock like fuck. It caught the right vibes of the time, this album is (hip hop) history. Maybe his best among several masterpieces. Great pressing of this greatly mixed composition, especially for such a load of content. It still sounds pretty forceful and rich.

Mf as raw as it gets, this shit goes with your morning brew as well as does with a midnight snack. This pressing is clean and the sound is amazing. The cover is high quality and the free is a nice add on. Don’t miss out on this one. Grab it while you can!

Bought it on discogs for around €35,-

So glad this classic is back on vinyl! Was hoping for a double LP, but it still sounds good. This is my second favorite Cube album right behind Death Certificate.

RTC have been doing their thing. They have had some misses but this Pressing sounds immaculate. Clear, good bass, no pops, etc. Has to match up w the OG pressing.

You can safely buy this reissue. My copy is completely flat and clean and sounds absolutely and perfectly fine. Nothing groundbreaking in of sound, which is is also not what you expect with a hip hop album from the early 90s.
However, I would say that this reissue by lengths is better than the average hip hop reissue.
Feels like a 180 gram LP, came in a poly-lined inner sleeve, which is a plus.

For the price, unfortunately, a disappointing release. No gatefold, no lyrics, very thin cover. I would have hoped for something more for the 30th anniversary.
The LP sounds very similar to my CD.